Apprentice of the Mystics
by Indigo Tantarian
Summary: The early portion of Janus's time in 600 A.D. from Flea's point of view, especially when their lives collide. Flea x Janus friendship or Slash and Ozzie too! Ooh, bad pun, depending on how you look at it. Rated for Flea's mouth.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I was playing Chrono Cross, and randomly decided I wanted to read about Janus and Flea and people like that. Then I decided I should write about them. So… this is the product of that thought. Flea's POV.

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**Apprentice of the Mystics**

I hate children. Even when I was a child, I hated children. Nasty, messy, dirty creatures with no manners or sense of grace… Human or Mystic, they're all the same. And so LOUD! I can't stand it! So when I was just becoming a beautiful young man, and that great toad Ozzie brought in the little blue-haired brat, I had to question his sanity. Or perhaps this was a case of punishment, though I wasn't sure if it was for the boy or us. Slash didn't look too pleased either.

"What is THIS?" he asked.

"My imps found it in the hills," Ozzie chortled, pushing the kid a little. "It popped out of some kind of vortex."

I walked up to the boy, and circled him in mild interest. His narrow eyes followed me in distrust.

"You're pretty short," I commented. He bristled and tried to look threatening. "Can he do anything useful, or is he a new toy for us?" I asked Ozzie.

"Gyahaha… He's got some kind of power," Ozzie said. "We'll just have to see what it is, and how we can use it…"

"And if we can't?" asked Slash, in very clipped words for one with such a flat face. "Or if you're wrong, and he's useless? Then what?"

Ozzie shrugged. "Then we tear him limb from limb and feed him to the ogres. Or burn him alive… Hmm…" He smirked, watching the boy's face. The child had gone stiff, but his face showed no fear, only supreme hatred.

Slash, never one for great patience (not that I'm one to talk), stepped up and jabbed the kid with his scabbard. "Well? How would you like to be sliced to pieces?"

The boy's look of hatred intensified. He was almost crying with hate. For a moment he was silent. Then he muttered quietly, "The Black Wind howls… You will perish… ALL of you!" He looked around fiercely. Ozzie laughed heartily. I raised an eyebrow.

"Well yeah, what do you expect," I asked. "Nobody lives forever!"

The boy started to reply, but Ozzie casually knocked him on the head. He crumpled to the ground.

"Put him somewhere out of the way," the green leader of the Mystics said, turning away. "We'll deal with him later." He vanished.

"Just like him to leave us the dirty work," I muttered, glancing at Slash. He nudged the boy with his toe and made a face even more unpleasant than his normal one, if that's possible.

"Well have fun with that thing, because I'm not touching it," he said. I glared at him.

"You think I want to touch it either? I hate kids as much as I hate humans, and if you hadn't noticed, this is BOTH of those things!"

Slash smirked. "Not my problem. Besides… It looks like you." He disappeared before I could throttle him. The bastard. He knew I was sensitive about my looks. I don't have to work that hard to be beautiful. That's not it. It's just that out of all the Mystics in the world, none look more like a human than me. If I put my hair up, it shows off my ears and my more pointed features, so I don't look COMPLETELY human. But I have to try for it.

Staring down at the child in disgust, I tried to improve this disgusting situation for myself. Blue wasn't really a normal hair color for humans (at least I didn't think it was). And his ears looked just a little pointier than most humans'… And at least he wasn't making any noise. I took off my cape and laid it on the floor, and pushed the boy onto it with my foot. Then I picked up the corners and slung the slightly warm bundle over my back.

"Rrg, where does Ozzie expect me to put this brat," I muttered resentfully to myself. "I'm sure as hell not gonna put it in my room. And I'll have to burn my cape now… I'm sure it'll stink forever if I don't…" I tramped all over the castle angrily. Ozzie would want him in some secure place. The dungeons would be ideal. …Though someplace closer to Ozzie and/or Slash would be much more fun. It would serve them both right; Ozzie for bringing the brat, and Slash for insulting me. I finally settled on a dungeon cell below Ozzie's room. It would have to do. When I dumped the kid in it, I saw that he was awake again.

"You'll stay here. And if you're smart, you'll keep quiet," I informed him briefly. He glared at me. I shook out my cape. It didn't smell too bad, but you never know. I balled it up and threw it at him. He narrowed his eyes and flinched, but otherwise didn't move.

"It's just cloth, it won't hurt you, you wimp. Since it's already contaminated, you might as well keep it. And you'd better be grateful for that! Somebody might remember to bring you something to eat tomorrow, but don't count on it!" I laughed darkly.

The child continued to glare at me. I shrugged and disappeared, going back to my room.

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**Endnote: **Well… What do you think? Is everyone in character? Is it worth continuing?


	2. Chapter 2

**Apprentice of the Mystics**

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A couple of days later, I remembered the kid again. I hadn't heard him crying yet, but maybe that was just the thickness of the walls. I wondered if anyone had bothered to feed it yet. In any case, it could be fun to toy with the human. So I fixed myself a couple sandwiches and some chips, got a glass of water, and headed down to the dungeons for a different kind of temptation than I normally offer. I floated over to his cell and peered in. He sat in the corner, brooding and trying not to shiver. My cape had been shoved through the bars. 

"Not chilly, are you?" I smirked as I sat back in the air, my lunch floating beside me. His head jerked up to glare at me, the movement not quite masking a shiver. I glanced at my crumpled cape on the ground. "Not too smart either, obviously."

"Shut up," the boy muttered resentfully. "I'll not take handouts from a cretin like you!"

I laughed incredulously. "Handouts? You were touching it. You think I'd want it after that? The only thing worse than the stench of a human is the stench of a human child."

"All of you stink. You live in this stinking pit of a castle, with rotting corpses and filthy creatures running amok through it… How do you expect this place not to stink?" he retorted angrily.

"Well aren't you an educated little brat! All those big words…" I smirked condescendingly. The child's glare intensified. I took a bite of my sandwich. "Have you been fed lately?

"No, and I wouldn't eat anything you fools tried to give me."

I shrugged. "Nobody's forcing anything down your throat. Obviously." I sipped my water and took a potato chip. "Mmm…" I watched him to see if he would break down and ask for something. He didn't crack. The kid was either admirably brave or damnably stupid. Not that there was always a difference.

"I won't do your bidding. You had better let me go," the brat threatened after a moment. I swallowed my mouthful of sandwich and licked my lips.

"Mmm… Well you'll either do it, or you'll die. Not much of a choice. I suggest doing what we say, it'll save you some trouble."

"Never," he growled.

"Suit yourself, then. I hope you like pain!" I said cheerfully.

"…Just what do you expect of me, anyway?" he asked angrily after a moment.

I shrugged. "Some kind of magic at our disposal, I guess. Ozzie seems to think you can do something."

The boy smirked bitterly. "Well you're wrong. You picked the wrong person to kidnap if it's magic you're after. I don't have any. My sister got it all. …And you're not touching her!" He glared fiercely.

"Hm, we'll see about that… But you're what we've got. So you're what we'll use." I took another big bite of sandwich, finishing off the first one.

"Hmph, with YOUR feeble grasp of magic, I guess even I would be an improvement," he said with a smirk.

I frowned. "Shut up, brat. Who do you think you're talking to?"

He shrugged. "Some floozy who begs at the feet of her overgrown imp-master."

I stood, drawing myself up to my full height. "I am the magician Flea, and general of the Mystic Army. Far too good to be speaking to a human like you."

The boy got up angrily too. "I am Prince Janus of the Kingdom of Zeal, and you would do well to remember that, filthy commoner!"

I nearly tore down the bars in my rage. How dare he speak to me that way? But I forced myself to calm down. No sense in letting him win by getting me riled up. "Well princey, you're even denser than most. I'm also a guy."

He blinked, caught off-guard for a moment. Then his glare was back. "You hardly look like a man in THAT." He looked over my clothing critically.

"Male, female, what's the difference?" I grinned, and winked at him. "…Power is beauty, and I've got the power."

He gave me a weird look. "You are… strange."

I was about to shoot back a witty comeback, but Ozzie chose that moment to waddle over.

"Mweeheehee… Taking care of your kid, Flea?"

I narrowed my eyes. "It's not MINE. You're the one who brought it here. I was just having some fun with it."

"Oh no, you're mistaken," Ozzie said, taking great pleasure in this. "We're interested in his magic, and guess who our magician is!" He chuckled gleefully. Janus looked like he couldn't decide if he was disgusted or amused.

"No. No way. I hate kids. I hate humans. You've gotta be kidding me. No." I shook my head adamantly, but Ozzie just nodded, grinning.

"I guess you'll have to learn to deal with it, then. Because it's your new apprentice as long as it can learn from you."

I stared at him, speechless for once. How could he do this to me? What did I do? I'd been good lately; I'd fulfilled all my tasks and obeyed every order. I didn't deserve this!

"Wait!" I called desperately as Ozzie turned to leave. "If… you think he'll be staying long enough to be called an apprentice, shouldn't he learn a little more? I mean…" I searched wildly for a way to get him off my hands for a while. "…Slash should teach him how to fight too! And you could…" …Well, there wasn't much Ozzie could teach him, that he'd be willing to divulge to a human outsider.

"And make him any kind of threat? Where's your head, Flea?" Ozzie shook his head. "IF you can make him useful at all, we'll see what we can do about his loyalties. If not…" He shrugged his wide shoulders. "…No loss for us." He vanished, back to his own chambers.

"…No loss for YOU, maybe!" I shouted after him, stamping my foot. "What about me? I have to waste all that time on this worthless little human brat!" I whirled to glare at the child, who was glaring back defensively.

"You! What magic do you know?"

"I told you, idiot! None!"

"You're the idiot, then. Look, I don't want to do this. So you're going to learn damn fast, or you're gonna make it hella clear right off that you can't do anything. Got it? And if you wanna live, I'd suggest the first option!"

The boy glared resentfully. I wondered if he had any expressions. "I TOLD you I can't! Are you deaf?"

"Yeah, well much as I'd like to just throw you to the ogres or something fun like that, I can't. SOME of us have a better sense of responsibility than that. And I don't want to be punished for not even trying to do my job."

"So what, now you're going to put me in halfway acceptable accommodations?" the boy asked.

I laughed. "Silly princey, of course not! This is just fine for you until we get some more prisoners. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. …But I guess I'll have to feed you once in a while…" I made a face and grudgingly turned my second sandwich sideways, passing it through the bars to him. I shouldn't eat so much anyway, it wasn't good for my figure.

The boy stared at me distrustfully. "…Oh please, I was gonna eat this myself. I wouldn't poison it."

"…What is in it?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Ham, turkey, salami, cheese, banana peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise!" I announced gleefully. "It's really good.

"…I do not know what half of that is…" he said uncertainly. "I am not THAT hungry…" But his stomach betrayed him with a growl.

"Sounds like you are, though!" I laughed. "You can pick off the stuff you don't like, and eat it when you get hungry enough not to care."

He hesitated, his stubbornness warring with his hunger. Then his arm snaked out to grab the sandwich from me. He immediately backed away, keeping his eyes on me.

"Holding it won't help you much," I said with a smirk.

"Shut up, cretin… I'll eat when I'm ready. I'm not here for your amusement!" he hissed.

"I've got news for you, princey. Yes you are. And you'd better keep amusing me, if you want to keep eating."

"Don't call me that!"

"You seem to think you have some control here. Sorry, that's not the case. I'll call you what I want."

"I hate you…"

"That's good."


	3. Chapter 3

**Apprentice to the Mystics**

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I floated in front of Janus in a shadowy room. A few months had passed since the blue-haired boy had arrived. I had insisted that he wear ornaments on his ears that would pinch them and make them grow long and pointed. At first the child had been completely useless. He just kept repeating that he couldn't do any magic, and he wouldn't try. On the verge of giving up, I took a day off, and then told him to show me what others had tried so far, and what said others could do themselves. He described basic archaic ways of testing for magic, and of bringing it out. He talked about a few different kinds of magic, but few things that were in use these days. I had to laugh at him for his ancient ideas. It was all he knew, though. And with the discovery that there was more to magic than he knew, it was possible to teach him. The boy could master all the natural elements, and had quite a knack for shadow magic as well…

"Yes, yes, lightning's nice," I conceded as his low-level spell crackled against my shield. "So are fire and ice. Show me some dark mist, and we'll call it a day."

Janus frowned in concentration and chanted under his breath. Beginners often needed to do that. A purple mist began to gather.

"That's weak. You'll have to do better than that."

The boy's frown deepened, as did the mist.

"Oh please, my grandma could blow that away."

The mist thickened, roiling with darkness. A shiver of energy shot through it in a straight line that split between us to send two lines out around him. I staggered at the intensity, though I didn't fall. The child staggered too, breathing heavily as the mist quickly faded.

"Hmm… Getting better, I guess," I conceded. "But there's still plenty of room for improvement. You're far too slow." I went to the side of the room and tossed the kid a small loaf of bread, which he tore into ravenously. I grabbed one for myself too, in addition to the glass of water beside it. "Eat that and rest for a minute, then go find Slash for your fighting lesson."

The boy scowled, chewing on a crusty edge of the bread. "…I don't see why I have to have dealings with him. I was brought here for my magic, not my fighting skills…"

"Anyone with only one skill, no matter how good it is, is only fit to be a flunky all their life. And if they ever lose that, even for a day, they're worthless," I said, hopping into the air to sit there. "The key… is to never be worthless. Always have a use."

"So then YOU can do more than one thing?" he smirked mockingly.

"Watch it, human." I smirked back dangerously and teleported myself behind him to whack him in the head. "I can slap with the best of them! …Not to mention my glorious beauty!" I grinned at him with a wink as he glared at me, rubbing his head.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped. "…And quit flirting. It's disgusting behavior.

"Aww, is little princey shy?" I laughed almost fondly. "Don't worry, you're kind of young for that kind of thing."

"How old are YOU, anyway?" the child retorted. "You don't look that much older than me… Just taller."

I shrugged. "I'm twenty. Most Mystics mature faster than humans, and the more highly developed ones like me live longer. Your race is just slow. How old are you, anyway?"

He narrowed his eyes defensively. "…Nine. Almost ten."

"Heh, just a little one, then," I said with a smirk.

The boy glared and took another bite of bread. "…I don't understand why someone else can't teach me to fight…"

I shrugged. "Slash is the best swordsman here. You're lucky he agreed to teach a human like you."

The boy frowned down at the floor, which he scraped with his shoe. "…He's a noseless fool, and I hate him."

"And Ozzie's a fat lumpy fool, and I'm a cross-dressing fool, and everyone else isn't worth listening to," I continued, listing his opinions of us. "You've gotta learn from someone. Your knife skills are laughable, I could get a weapon away from you with my bare hands. And you can't use anything else."

"Hmph… I don't want to learn from him…" the boy insisted sulkily.

"Oh?" I asked, slowly turning upside down in the air and floating closer. "Why not?"

He glared at me. "I hate him. He has no tolerance for any way but his."

"Discipline's a big part of any kind of learning," I said with a shrug. "You could do with a bit more of that."

"But does that mean I HAVE to learn the sword? I don't want to fight with a sword!" he argued.

"I'm not the one to ask about that. But it's his specialty, so it's a good starting point." I stretched a bit. "What would you use?"

He looked down and shrugged. "…I don't know. I haven't tried anything but a knife and sword. Maybe a bow. Or even a scythe."

"If it's that important to you, find one and learn it yourself," I suggested. "Because I can't see Slash wasting his time teaching you another weapon so early. But in the meantime, you'd better keep up with what he's teaching you."

"What, you expect me to just… look around and find a bow lying on the ground?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know about a bow, but I've seen some of the living skeletons with scythes. Get one from them."

He made a face, finishing off his bread. "I don't want to touch such filthy things…"

"Aww, is little princey afraid?" I mocked. "Still used to having servants to pick up his toys and wipe his ass for him?"

He glared at me angrily. "Stop it! I'm not! Just… shut up! Don't even talk to me! I hate you too, you're as bad as Slash!" He got to his feet and stalked out of the room.

I shrugged and teleported back to my room. He really needed to learn to loosen up. Stupid kid, always leaving himself open to insults, then getting so offended when somebody took the chance. Obviously Slash did it too. I shrugged and stretched out in the air to relax for a while.

"Flea."

I made a conscious effort not to jump or fall. I opened one eye to see Ozzie standing in my doorway.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"I want a status report on the human kid. How's it doing?"

"Pretty well, actually," I admitted. "It was kind of useless at first, but we tried some different things… It mastered the simple elemental magics in no time, and it's good at shadow spells. We've been working on a good strong dark mist lately. It's getting stronger, but he's still pretty slow with it."

"Hmph, well that's to be expected… Still, impressive… for a human. And it's learning to fight with Slash?"

"Yep, in fact he should be there now. Though it's just as possible that he went off to sulk. He's still getting used to ideas like discipline and obedience."

"Heh, well those are lessons soon learned, unless death is what it wants," Ozzie snickered. "But the magic is going well?"

"Oh yes," I affirmed. "In fact, we might have quite a little magus on our hands, in time…"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Woo hoo, I got a review! Wonderful! If anyone else is reading this, I truly do love reviews… They're ever so motivating…

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**Apprentice of the Mystics**

I yawned. "Try it again. Magic wall. The point is to protect yourself from magic, that's all. Don't worry about physical attacks, that's a different spell."

The kid frowned. "I'm trying… But what good is it to protect against one thing, and leave myself wide open to another kind of attack?"

I shrugged. "That's just the way it works. Get fast enough, and you might be able to cast this and some physical protection before your opponent can do anything."

He rubbed at a dark bruise on his arm. "I wish you'd teach me the physical protection spell first…"

"Nah, we're working with magic here. This is how you deal with me. Find other ways to protect yourself from Slash."

"He hits me when I do anything wrong…" he muttered.

"Then you might want to learn to do the right things faster," I suggested. "You want a tonic, for now?"

He frowned. "No."

I shrugged. "Fine, then don't complain when it hurts. Try again."

He glared at me, chanting under his breath. Weak green beams of light shot out from him, and he began to pulse with a faint green glow.

"Good! Let's try it out." I pointed at him and shot a line of flames at the child. He flinched, and his shirt got a little singed, but his barrier managed to mostly block it. "Hey, not bad!"

"That was easy," the boy said with a confident smirk.

"Oh, so you want something tough? Okay then, remember, you asked for it! How 'bout a little waltz with the wind?" He blinked in confusion and stiffened in alarm as I grinned and grabbed him, spinning him around as the wind picked up, swirling us both through the air, and blew him a kiss as I let it spin him back down. The child staggered and tried to straighten up, but he couldn't even tell which way was up.

"I… I'm… What… What did you do?" he demanded. He was barely able to get the words out."

"Just a fun little confusion spell," I assured him with a smirk. "Not so easy now, huh?" I sank down to stand on the floor in front of him.

"Nnn…" He couldn't even form a word. He tried to walk towards me, but staggered and reeled off to the side. When he tried to correct his path, he ran into the wall and crumpled to the ground.

"Aww, poor thing," I said with a laugh, walking over to him. He tried to glare at me as I smirked down condescendingly, but he couldn't seem to find me. He tried to say something again.

"What was that? Didn't quite catch it," I said with a grin, leaning down closer to him. He flailed around and grabbed my ankle by accident.

"…Shhhut… up…" he managed to get out before squeezing his eyes shut, still holding onto my ankle tightly.

"Come on, it's not that bad. Oh hold on… Wimp…" I reached down and whacked him on the head. He blinked and looked almost betrayed.

"Wh… Why did you do that?" he asked, glaring at me.

"To fix what was wrong, stupid. Get up, you're fine now."

Surprise broke over the boy's face, and he cautiously got to his feet.

"It's that simple. Most people don't think of it, though."

"I can see why…" the boy rubbed his head, still a little sore.

"Oh please, you're such a wimp, I didn't even hit you hard," I said rolling my eyes.

He frowned. "It's sore, okay? Leave me alone…"

"Hey, Flea," Slash said, walking in with a bundle tied to the end of his sword. The kid narrowed his eyes and stepped back a little as I looked up. I didn't see why he was being like that. I mean, he was a wimp with me too, but not THAT bad.

"Yeah?"

"We've got some prisoners coming in soon," Slash said, not deigning to notice the boy behind me. "Knights from Guardia. Gotta clear out the dungeons."

"Hmph, we need some new dungeons… Three cells and a basement aren't enough…"

Slash shrugged. "What do you want me to do about it? I had some imps clear out a few old bones and stuff. …And this stuff is yours to worry about." He twitched his sword, sending the dirty gray bundle flying towards me. I gracefully stepped out of the way, but it caught the boy in the arm. Slash sneered. "Stuff from your little friend's cell. You'd better find a better place for it." He laughed nastily as he walked out.

I blinked, uncomprehending, then frowned. "…Damn. I almost forgot about that…" I turned to the boy, who was still watching the door suspiciously. "Come on, pick up your stuff… And I can't believe you'd let that get so dirty! That's my cape, you know! Now it really WILL have to be burned!" I stalked out towards my room in annoyance. After a minute, my sharp ears picked up the sounds of him picking up the bundle and following me. We went all the way to the last room on the right side of the castle. "…I guess you can stay here," I said reluctantly. "Just don't get my throne messy."

He looked around quietly for a moment. "…But… isn't this… your room…?"

"Nah, not really. It's where I wait for enemies when they invade, and where I come to meet with people. My own room's above it."

"…How do you get to it?"

"I teleport. It's the only way."

"When will I learn to do that?" the boy asked.

"When you're good enough. And when I can trust you not to come bug me," I said with a smirk.

"You think I would?" he asked with a frown.

"Sure. You're a human child. Always wanna be babysat and stuff like that. You'll probably keep me up all night as it is with your crying."

The boy straightened up, glaring at me. "For your information, I do not need to be babysat. I would much prefer to be alone. And I do not cry."

"Hm, we'll see about that. …And you won't be COMPLETELY alone. The rats will keep you company!" I said gleefully.

"…Rats…?" he asked uncertainly.

"Big ones. Not to mention the lesser Mystics. But they might not bother you… too much!"

He crossed his arms defensively. "…They'd better not…" He frowned at me. "…And you'd better not snore like Ozzie does!"

I blinked and burst out laughing. "You can hear him in the dungeons?"

"Yes," he confirmed resentfully. "It's nearly impossible to get any sleep at all…"

"Ha, you're right about that!" I agreed, grinning. "But don't worry, I don't snore. So you'll just have the rats to worry about!"

"Hmph… I hate rats," the boy muttered. "Alfador would always keep them away…"

"Alfador? Who's that, your brother?" I asked, mildly interested.

"…My cat."

"Oh! I like cats. Too bad Ozzie and Slash hate them so much."

"Did you have one too… before you came here?" he asked, almost cautiously.

I blinked. "…Before? No. I didn't have anywhere to keep a cat."

He shivered slightly and untied the bundle, laying out my dirty old cape and taking out some dishes, his knife, and the decrepit old scythe he had found. "…Where did you live before?"

I shrugged, hopping up to perch on the top of my throne. "Wherever I wanted to. Usually in the mountain caves."

"…With your family?" The boy shook out the cape and wrapped it around himself, coming closer.

"Nah. I don't have any family. Never knew them. Some humans raised me when I was really little, but as soon as I could leave, I did."

"…Do you miss them…?"

"Nope. The people who raised me were old and nearsighted; they thought I was a human child. Stupid. Everyone else in their village could see I wasn't, though, and they hated me for it. As I hated them," I said calmly. I hadn't really thought about this in a long time.

"…My mother treated everyone horribly. All the other Enlightened ones were snobs. The Earthbound ones were filthy. …But I miss my sister. And my cat. They were the best friends I had…" He hesitated, then climbed up on the throne and curled up, looking up at me. "And now… I have nothing…"

"Hm. I'm the opposite. I've got allies now, and a real place to live. I wouldn't want to go back."

"…Allies… but not friends?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Not really. Definitely not Ozzie. Maybe Slash… sometimes. When he's not being a jerk."

The boy frowned. "…I hate Slash…"

"So you've told me. I doubt he cares. But you respect him, don't you?"

"…I guess… a little. As a swordsman," he admitted reluctantly.

"That's all that really matters. But come on, what's your deal with Slash? He's pretty mean sometimes, but is it all that bad?"

He glared at me. "I hate him! He does nothing but criticize me, even when I do everything he wants me to, perfectly! And he's unnecessarily rude and mean to me!"

"Well, you are a human. We don't especially like you guys, as a rule," I commented.

He frowned, looking just slightly upset. "…At least you tell me when I'm doing something right…"

I shrugged. "Well like I said, he's a jerk. But you've gotta deal with it, and keep trying. He doesn't just hand out praise."

"Neither do you…" he mumbled a little resentfully.

"You really think I'm that much better than him?" I paused, then grinned. "Well naturally, I am. But listen, we've both got our own ways of doing things. You may not like it, but you still have to put up with it. That's just life."

The boy sighed. "I know…"

"Yeah, yeah… Now comb your hair! If you're going to stay in here, you'd better take good care of yourself!" I ordered him. He blinked up at me, and slowly began combing his fingers through his hair. "Oh come on, that's not good enough. You really need a comb… Hold on, I'll be right back." I disappeared, and reappeared in a minute holding a spare comb of mine. "Here. Sit up, I'm not sure I trust you to do it well enough on your own."

The boy glowered at me and sat up, his eyes beginning to droop a bit. "I'm not helpless…"

"Right, if you say so," I agreed nonchalantly, hopping down to one of the chair's arms. I crouched there and started to comb out the boy's blue hair. "You've gotta wash this more often… It might actually look nice if you kept it clean and neat."

"You keep me busy enough with everything else, I don't have time to spend – OW! – hours on my appearance like you! Stop pulling it!"

"Keep your head still and I won't have to." I held his head in one hand and the comb in the other, starting at the bottom of his hair and working up as gently as I could. He jerked and squirmed at first, but after a while he calmed down a bit. He even leaned into my hand. What a strange human… I thought to myself as he began to lean more and more into me that maybe I should just watch one of his lessons with Slash, to see how it was going. I was sure he was just being a wimp again, but it wouldn't hurt to see what was happening. He yawned and sighed, his head dropping to the armrest as I finished combing. I watched him for a moment, then smoothed his soft blue hair down a bit. Weird little kid… I'd just check up on things with Slash later. This was my apprentice, after all. I had to keep an eye on him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Apprentice of the Mystics**

* * *

I figured it would be better not to tell either of them that I'd be watching, so I hung as a bat in the corner of the room to watch the boy and Slash. That boy was such a wimp, I was sure he had no reason to whine…

"Come on human, don't drag your feet," Slash said sharply. The boy glared and quickened his pace just a bit. "Now draw your sword."

The child pulled a thin sword from its sheath. "…I'd rather use a scythe…" he muttered.

"Silence," Slash snapped, rapping him across the head with the blunt side of his sword. The boy cringed. "Begin." They faced each other, swords at the ready. Slash made a couple of opening swipes, which the boy parried without too much trouble. The swordsman jabbed a little more forcefully. The boy ducked away and parried that too. Slash followed him, his moves becoming faster and more fluid. The boy blocked most of the slices, but got some nicks and shallow cuts on his arms.

"Too slow as usual," Slash said critically, never stopping his assault.

"Nnn… I'm… trying!" insisted the child, though his concentration suffered when he spoke. Slash got in another few hits on him.

"Trying is useless if you don't succeed," Slash countered with easy words and blows. He whacked the boy on the head again with the flat of the sword, making him clearly dizzy. "Simply trying is for the weak and the useless." He punctuated his words with swipes at the child's shirt, leaving cuts through it, and shallow gashes in his chest. "You'll never succeed." He delivered a heavy blow to the boy's sword, knocking it out of his now numb hand. "Too slow," he sneered. Then he spun behind the child, grabbing his wrists in one hand and holding his sword to the young human's trembling neck with the other. "Now… How about I get rid of you, and do everyone a favor… Me, Ozzie, certainly Flea… Yourself… And any worthless family or friends you had, in whatever hellhole you crawled out of…"

"…Oh I don't think that's such a good idea, Slash." The swordsman and child jumped as one, which was good, because if it had just been one or the other, the boy's throat would have been slit. It was already starting to ooze blood a bit.

"Flea! Show yourself! What business do you have here?" Slash hissed.

"I thought I'd take a look at what you've been doing lately, since you seem to think you can barge in on MY lessons with MY apprentice whenever you want…" I spread my wings and glided down, changing form as I went, to stand before him. The boy was staring at me with wide eyes.

"You're the one who wanted me to teach it to fight. And it's damn useless, too. Did you see how bad it is?"

"Oh yes, if you expect him to suddenly become a top-notch swordsman overnight, he's doing terribly. I quite agree!" I rolled my eyes. "Slash, it's a little kid. There's no rush. He's not perfect at magic either, but he's improving. As he obviously has been here, too. So what's the problem?"

"The problem is, I expect perfection," Slash stated flatly. "And this whelp cannot deliver that." He cuffed the boy to accentuate his point.

"Yeah, well I expect the same thing!" I retorted, starting to get angry. "But I'm not living in a fantasy world where I can just tell somebody to live up to my expectations and expect them to be able to obey. He's gotta work at it, but the only way for him to improve enough is for me to work him through it. Be realistic Slash, he's still getting used to all this. And he's getting better. Don't be so impatient!"

"What, are you defending your wimpy little friend?" Slash sneered. "Got a soft spot for something that looks so much like you? Don't be such a human."

That was too much. I flew at him like lightning. He went for his sword, but I had already drawn up the wind to swirl around us. "Now who's slow? Don't you ever call me a human again, you fish-faced freak! And that's MY apprentice, you understand? Go get your own to beat up on!" I resisted the urge to pummel him as the wind swirled him down to the floor, where he continued to spin dizzily, trying to find his balance. The boy watched silently from a distance.

"…Come on," I said after a moment. I turned and floated out of the room, hearing soft footsteps follow me quickly. We returned to his room, where I turned to sit on my throne before him. He stopped, defensive and uncertain.

"So. Maybe you're not quite as whiny as I thought," I conceded. The boy watched me through narrowed eyes.

"…I'm not going back. He would have killed me…" he said quietly, his eyes daring me to disagree.

"Yeah, he probably would have," I agreed, looking at the angry red streak that was dripping blood down the boy's neck. I reached to my belt and pulled out a bottle. "Here. It's a mid-tonic, you look like you need it."

He snatched the bottle from me, and I watched him pour the liquid over his wounds. They healed before my eyes. There was a bit left in the bottle, so he drank it up.

"Feel better now?" I asked.

"…Yes," he admitted almost reluctantly.

"Good. Take a rest, and then you're going to have to teach yourself to fight for the most part. I'm no weapons expert, and I'm not much good with a scythe."

The boy nearly grinned. It was certainly a nice change from the constant glare. "Then… I don't have to go back to Slash…?"

"No," I sighed. "You can try to teach yourself, and I might help a little. If you don't progress well enough though, you're just gonna have to suck it up and go beg Slash to teach you again.

"I will," the boy said quickly. "I'll learn. I'll do well."

"Good. I expect you to."

"…Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I expect you to be able to beat me in magic and beat Slash in a fight by the time we're through, princey," I said with a smirk.

"Rrg… I have a NAME!" he shouted angrily. "Quit calling me that!"

I considered the boy for a moment. "Yes, I know," I said quietly. "Janus. Probably named after the ancient two-faced god. Just like your namesake, you look back to the past and forward to the future at the same time. And two faces would suit you better than you seem to know. You may hate Slash's guts. I do too sometimes. But that doesn't make it smart to make the relationship between you bad."

"He hates me too," Janus pointed out.

"Yeah, he does. You're a human. We don't think too well of you for that."

"You're at least fair…" the boy mumbled.

"I know better than to make enemies of anyone who I might not want to face in the future," I corrected him. "I'd rather minimize the trouble I might get into later."

"So… then you… really don't like me either?" he asked quietly.

"Like is such a strong word… I wouldn't take pleasure in hurting you… But I wouldn't hesitate to kill you if the need arose," I clarified.

The child was silent for a moment, looking down at the carpet and rubbing his shoe on it. "…I wouldn't want to kill YOU…"

"I never said I'd want to. I wouldn't. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it if it came down to that. And I would expect you to do the same." I raised an eyebrow at the boy, who was looking more and more uncomfortable.

"…But… We'll both be on the same side! We're both Mystics. I don't care if I'm a human, I don't have any loyalties to most of them… Why would I even have to think about that?"

"Janus. Think about it. Do you want to be Ozzie's underling all your life? My advice would be to do that as long as it works for you. But when you're older and more experienced, I bet you could easily take command from him. Or you could turn on him."

"You're… talking treason," he said uneasily.

"I'm talking about living your own life. Don't be a flunky forever. Think for yourself," I said, keeping my voice low just due to the nature of my speech.

"…What about you, then? Aren't you serving Ozzie…?" he asked uncertainly.

I smirked. "While it suits me. It's a pretty good way to start out."

"…What do you want to do… after this? Will you lead the Mystics? Will you leave them…?" The boy sounded rather lost.

"Eh, I don't know," I said with a shrug. "I like being near the top, but I don't know if I'd want to be all the way up there. I'm not sure what else I want to do either. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I guess!"

"…Then… you… don't know what I should do either…?" he asked hesitantly.

"…Not in the future, no. But now, I know exactly what you should do." He looked up at me hopefully. "…Just what you've been doing. Get stronger, improve your skills… grow a little taller… Keep up your looks… I'd say when you get a little older, you'll do fine."

He smiled faintly. "You think so…?"

"Sure!"

"…And you think I'll be good enough some day that you'll have to stay on my good side?" he asked, grinning.

"Well, if you don't slack off, it's possible."

"…Thank you, Flea…"

"Eh, no problem. Talk is free, princey."

"I HATE that!" He glared at me.

"I know!" I grinned back.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Mayonee/Mayonnaise is Flea's Japanese name.

* * *

**Apprentice of the Mystics**

Janus had grown taller. He was about as high as my shoulder. The boy would probably be short for quite a while, a fact that he was starting to get more sensitive about. Slash made fun of it when he got a chance. I didn't do anything about that, but I didn't join in either. The kid was okay for a human. Better than most, anyway. …Aw fine, I admit it, I kinda like the brat. He just grew on me, ya know? Not that I'd ever admit that to anyone like Slash or Ozzie. They both tease me more than they used to. And then I kick them. Hard.

"Hey, that's pretty good," I admitted, breathing hard after the boy attacked me. He had jumped up to slash me with his scythe, and then hit me with a lightning spell twice the strength of the basic spell he'd started out with. It crackled all around the room, and I could still feel my hairs standing on end.

He smirked slightly. "Of course it is…"

I took a deep breath and walked over to circle around him, looking him over appreciatively. "You've improved a lot… In magic, fighting… and definitely looks!" I licked my lips.

"Quit it, Flea!" he exclaimed, glaring. "I don't want to be flirted with."

"But it's so much FUN!" I exclaimed with a girlish squeal.

"Flea…" he started, blushing just a little. "…Are you really… a guy?"

"Hm, wanna find out…?" I asked, grinning and running my hands down from my chest to my thighs. Damn, I'm hot…

"N-no!" he said quickly.

"I could be either one, you know…" I purred, putting my hands on his shoulders to make him blush more.

"S-stop that!" he insisted, squirming out of my grip. I laughed.

"Come on, you know I don't mean it. Not unless you want me to."

"Well I don't. Why do you have to be like that?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest defensively.

"It's who I am," I said with a shrug. "Why do you always glare at everybody, and act like you've got a stick up your backside?"

He visibly withdrew. "…I don't want anyone to be able to hurt me…" he said after a long pause.

"And neither do I. We just have different ways of doing that."

"But… What if someone accepted your offers…? What would you do then?"

"Depends on who it was," I said with a shrug. "…Why, were you thinking about accepting?" I grinned and winked at him.

"No!" he said quickly.

"Heh, then I guess you'll never know," I said, pleased that my aura of mystique was still intact.

He rolled his eyes. "…Flea… You're a pest just like your name…"

"Yeah, princey? Well I didn't pick it for its sugary sweetness."

"You picked it? No one named you?"

"Oh someone named me. I just chose a different name." I casually flicked a flame at him to see if his guard was still up. He startled, but quickly blocked it. "Not bad."

"…What was your first name, then?" he asked, more cautious now.

"What business is it of YOURS?" I inquired, floating upside down and looking straight into his eyes.

"None, I guess. But you know my real name. And I wondered."

"Hmmmm…" I considered this at great length. What harm could it do? "Fine, then. My other name, before I came here, was Mayonee."

"…Mayonee? What a strange name…"

"Hey, you're one to talk. I didn't say anything about being named after an indecisive freak of a god."

"…Sorry. Mayonee… What does it mean?"

I stared down at him for a moment. "…It means mayonnaise. That was also a nickname of mine as a child."

He blinked, not sure whether or not to believe me. "…Mayonnaise?"

"Yes."

"Um… Not to be offensive… But why would anyone name their child Mayonnaise?"

"Who knows? Maybe they liked the word. Or maybe they thought I would be pale and fattening. In any case, I was Mayonee."

He laughed slightly. "Mayonee… Can I call you that?"

"Hmm… How about no? It was my own private name. Ozzie and Slash know it, but they know the consequences for using it, too. A good kick in the groin. I am Flea, and Flea I'll remain. And shall I call you Janus?"

"…What else would you call me? That is my name," the boy said, confused.

I laughed. "For now, yes. But not always. Some day you'll be a great magus, and that's what I'll call you."

"Magus…" he said slowly, trying it out. Then he looked up at me. "…I recognize the root, but what exactly does it mean?"

"It means a powerful sorcerer. Which is what you're becoming."

"…Better than you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Oh we'll see about that, princey."

He glared darkly at me. "When you call me that, what should I call you?"

"Flea the Magnificent," I answered with a smirk. "Because that's what I am, just as you're a darling little princey. And don't forget it." I patted him on the head for good measure.

"I hate you so much sometimes, Flea…" he muttered, glaring at the ground.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it." I smiled almost affectionately before whirling around to blast the boy with an explosion of flames.

"AAAHH!" he screamed, caught off-guard. He glared, rubbing at his raw burns. "Isn't there ANY time I can relax without worrying about being attacked?"

"No, there isn't," I said in perfect seriousness. "You dropped your guard, and I took advantage of your weakness. Never put it past anyone to do that. Would you relax that way with Slash? Or Ozzie?"

"Of course not!" he glared angrily. "I'm not stupid enough to trust them!"

I sighed. "You seem to think that your trust should honor me. It doesn't. It's a dangerous thing for you to do, and you need to stop it. I've told you before that I'll kill you if I have to. You'd better damn well fight back."

"…But you weren't trying to kill me," Janus said softly. "…You were testing me, preparing me…"

"That's right. And I'd feel a hell of a lot better if your reflexes and defenses improved…" I aimed a light kick at him, and he brought up his foot to block it. "You're good when you're ready. You just need to be ready all the time." The kid was kind of cute, but pathetically trusting. "Hmm… What should you learn next…"

"What is the hardest thing you can do?" Janus asked thoughtfully.

I considered for a moment. "Shapeshifting, I think. Especially into something little like a bat. It's hard to compress myself that tiny."

"Can you become anything else?" he asked. "…I was surprised to see that bat become you in Slash's chambers…"

"Heh… Well I can become a few things. Bats, cats, rats, foxes, monkeys, anteaters… Things like that. All mammals, nothing aquatic. I usually like bats and cats the best, though."

"…Could I see what you look like as a cat?" he asked hesitantly.

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Hold on…" I shut my eyes and stepped forward, leaning down as I shrank and slipped into a cat's shape. I blinked slitted purple eyes at him, my fur a light tan with deep reddish brown stripes the color of my hair.

"You make a good cat," Janus said quietly. He offered me his fingers to smell, which I did, and smiled as I nuzzled him. I made figure eights through his legs, rubbing against him and purring, flicking my tail back and forth as he stroked me gently. Ah, it felt good… It was so easy to get caught up in the mindset of a cat, relishing the motion…

"May I pick you up?" the child asked. I tilted my head at him thoughtfully, then meowed and butted my head against his leg. He smiled slightly and bent to pick me up, holding me against him as he went to curl up on my throne with me. I immediately stood and walked all over him, rubbing him every so often. This one was mine… And then I settled in his lap, shoving his leg over a little for my comfort, and began to knead him. He sucked in his breath at my claws, as I knew he would. Silly little human. I told him not to lower his guard to anyone. Such a trusting fool. …Ah, a trusting fool who knew all the best places to scratch. I stretched and snuggled deeper into him as he rubbed behind my ears and under my jaw.

…And of course, being a cat, I allowed him to tempt me to settle down in his lap. It was very warm and soft, and the petting was good. He did mutter the word "Alfador" a few times, but I was willing to ignore that in the interest of comfort.

* * *

Endnote: I do so love reviews! (hint hint!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Apprentice of the Mystics**

I decided to take a break from offensive spells for a while to teach Janus how to teleport. I'd teach him the great Dark Matter spell later. I wasn't actually very good at it, a fact that I would need to hide from him. He wanted very much to learn to shapeshift, but he hadn't had any luck with it so far. Instead, we were working on teleporting. I had to do it for him at first, but he was slowly improving. It was wearing him out, but he was determined to learn it as fast as possible.

"Okay, we'll just try one more run," I said.

"…If it's successful," the boy finished, determinedly.

"…Or if it's not. You don't have the energy to do any more without passing out," I noted critically. He glared at me. "…Yes, yes, you hate me, shut up, all that. I know."

"…Just tell me where to go," he muttered resentfully.

"Okay! Hmm…" I thought for a moment. "…Okay, I told you when you learned to do this, you could go to my room. So IF you can manage it, you can go there."

Janus's face lit up in pleased surprise. "Really?"

"Sure. All right, now it's directly above us, just through the ceiling and floor and stuff. I'll go first, just follow me. And concentrate harder this time," I instructed him, and then I disappeared to wait for him in my room.

I stood in the middle of the room for about five minutes. Then I yawned and flopped down on my bed. I stayed there for about ten minutes, rolling over every so often, before I felt a shift in the air and heard heavy breathing. I sat up to see the boy standing in the middle of the room, panting and sweating.

"Hey! Nice job!" I congratulated him, flipping off the bed to go pat his head. "I didn't think you'd be able to do it with as tired as you are. You surprise me sometimes!"

"I… told you… I would," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"So you did," I conceded.

"So what's next?" he asked, still breathing a little heavily, but almost smiling at his achievement.

"Now? That's it for now. You're spent." He scowled darkly at me. "…Well you are! But later… I think it'll be time to teach you the Dark Matter."

"…Dark Matter…" his eyes grew in anticipation. "The strongest shadow spell!" He smirked proudly. "…Can you show it to me now?"

"Who would I cast it on?" I asked, deflecting him easily. "You couldn't take it right now."

He frowned, and looked around at my room for the first time. The walls hung with deep red and orange scarves and tapestries revealed no answers to him, nor did the large maroon four-poster bed with its gauzy veil, or the numerous shelves, wardrobes, and drawers. "Can't you cast it on an object?"

"Nope. It needs to center on something living," I sighed. "Just be patient. I'll show you tomorrow."

"Hmph, you'd better…"

"And I will.

…………………………………………………………………

The next day, as promised, we met in the large basement often used as a dungeon. I found some living skeletons to practice on. I faced them as Janus stood to the side, watching eagerly.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and muttered under my breath, calling out to the shadows, the darkness in my opponents' beings, and the night sky to answer me, as I had explained to the child. They came a little slower than I would have liked, but it wasn't too bad considering that my specialties were fire and confusion, not shadow magic. The shadows gathered, darker and darker, until the center of where they met became so dark it shined with light. My triangle of light flashed and swirled inside my star-filled triangle of darkness. The skeletons never stood a chance. I paused to steady my breathing for a moment before turning to the boy.

"I… tried to go slow for you. It isn't an easy thing to call up, and even harder to maintain," I said. "…What do you think?"

"…It makes sense, with your explanation. Just call the shadows, and make them so dark that they become light."

"Yes, but not all of them. It can be hard to find that balance. Do you want to try it?"

"Yes…" he said, with a slight smile. I nodded and looked around, then headed over to a sparkling record keeper I knew to be a monster in disguise. I poked it, making it separate and advance on us.

"All right, go for it," I encouraged him. He didn't need to be told twice. Shutting his eyes, he called out to the shadows. They answered him quicker than they had me. He struggled to control and bend them to his will for a moment, then light flashed as he completed the spell. The glittering enemies fizzled out.

"Hey, that was great," I congratulated him. "You catch on fast!"

"It… wasn't hard," he said, trying to catch his breath. "Just… took a lot of effort…"

"Yeah, it'll do that to you," I said sympathetically. "But you'll get used to it. …How's your fighting going, by the way?"

He blinked at the change of subject, then smirked. "Very well."

"Hmm… Show me, when you catch your breath."

"All right… But why?" he asked, taking a deep breath and summoning his scythe, a nicer one than the one he had started with, to him.

"…Because I want to see just how good you are. And where you are in general." …He had already caught up to me, magic-wise. I wasn't sure how he'd do against Slash with a weapon, but I was willing to bet he was close to being a match for him, too. Then, I could just about picture him challenging Ozzie for leadership of the Mystics… I was pleased with that thought. Though it also uncovered a bit of sadness. My little princey would have to move on and leave everything behind to grow into his command.

"…Ready?" he asked, breaking me out of my introspection. I smirked slightly at him.

"Of course. Come on!" I hopped into the air to float before him, ready to face the Magus I'd created.


	8. Epilogue

Author's Notes: Well… here's the epilogue. I like the ending better than I expected to. Ah, ironic justice…

* * *

**Apprentice of the Mystics**

A few years passed. Janus had surpassed Slash and myself, challenged Ozzie, and made himself the new leader of the Mystics. Slash didn't like it. Ozzie didn't like it. But they knew when they were beat, so they were quiet about it. He was smart about dealing with them: He kept them close. The three of us were his top associates. And before too long, working so closely with him, even Slash came to see that this was no longer a weak, slow little kid. They came to call him things like "Great Magus" and "Sir Magus."

As soon as this happened, the playtime stopped. There were no more familiar conversations, and there was no more little princey or even Janus. Only Magus, as it should be. There were statues built in his honor, and songs written for him (horribly cheesy ones, I might add). I became my apprentice's servant. After the initial disappointment he felt at our complete change in positions to each other, he got over it. …I did too, I suppose. We found other projects to busy ourselves. He was working on a major summoning, when he had any free time. I was practicing magic, commanding the troops, and generally wreaking havoc.

Let me tell you, I would die for Sir Magus. I nearly gave my life for him on the day those three adventurers charged in, hell-bent on killing him. The silly over-dramatic frog boy was back with some friends. I had been there when Magus had changed him. He recognized me… Who wouldn't recognize such beauty? But of course he thought I was a woman. Silly froggie… I gave him a good slapping for that. Ganged up on me as they were, though, they managed to take me out. When I woke up, aching all over, the castle was still. Ozzie and Slash were in similar condition, and Magus was nowhere to be found. Ozzie declared that Magus had left us, or maybe he had even been defeated, and that he was once more king of the Mystics. I had my own opinion on the subject. I knew Magus wouldn't let himself be defeated by a bunch of humans… even if one of them was a frog hell-bent on vengeance.

So we moved away and rebuilt. Ozzie's fort wasn't nearly as impressive as Magus's castle, but it was all right. I missed my room and my privacy, though. But life goes on, I suppose.

Much to our disgust, a similar group of adventurers sought us out again. It was the quiet boy with red hair and a sword from before, a girl with a gun wearing some weird helmet… and Magus, scowling and brooding as much as ever, it seemed. That really surprised me. So Slash and I fought them individually, while Ozzie tried to set traps for them and failed miserably. Then all three of us faced the three of them together. The two humans I didn't know fought determinedly, but with no real cause other than to win. Magus struck out at Slash with his scythe, a very impressive new one.

And then we faced each other with narrowed eyes. I glared at his impassive face for a moment. Then I grinned and winked.

"Nice to see you finally following my advice… princey," I mouthed to him.

His mouth curled up in a cold smirk. "Then you know I take little pleasure in what I'm about to do?"

I nodded. "I know. But hey, you got to take out Slash, right? And Ozzie's next. You'll have your fun."

"I suppose." He gave me a slight nod, and then dashed at me with his scythe, faster than I thought a human could. I managed to bend away from the blow enough to only catch part of it. I screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground, using the remainder of my energy for one last spell…

**……………………………………………………………**

Magus's face was set in a deadpan expression as he struck his former teacher. But his expression broke as the Mystic shrank as he fell, dropping to the ground and racing off into a shadowy corner in a streak of tan and brown. The blue-haired sorcerer laughed quietly to himself, and nodded slightly.

"…As I would expect. You always did make a good cat." He turned away, using the movement to slash at Ozzie, who let out a high scream and retreated.

A few moments later the cat crept up to the doorway that the others had run through. It seemed to smirk to itself as it trotted out past the humans and hit the switch to the right of Ozzie, who was encased in an impenetrable ice shield. A good tactic for defense, by the way. Too bad it kept him from moving in time.

Magus smirked too as the cat jumped lightly down the hole after Ozzie and raced out of the fort.


End file.
